Cavs’ Evan Mobley cements status as ROY favorite in latest Ladder
Full Rookie Ladder Rankings
- Evan Mobley, PF, Cavaliers
- Scottie Barnes, Forward, Raptors
- Josh Giddey, Guard, Oklahoma City Thunder
- Cade Cunningham, Guard, Pistons
- Franz Wagner, Forward, Magic
- Ayo Dosunmu, Guard, Chicago Bulls
- Herbert Jones, Forward, New Orleans Pelicans
- Chris Duarte, Guard, Indiana Pacers
- Jalen Suggs, Guard, Magic
- Jalen Green, Guard, Houston Rockets
There’s no doubt about it, the ROY is Mobley’s to lose
Even as I watched Josh Giddey catch fire before the All-Star break, and have a great performance over the weekend, I still thought the same thing. After watching Cade Cunningham do everything possible on a basketball court in Friday’s Rising Stars Challenge, I still thought the same thing. So obviously after watching Jalen Green in the dunk contest, I definitely thought the same thing. Evan Mobley is the best rookie in the NBA, and it’s really not all that close.
I know that may sound biased, but believe me, his on-court play, and the numbers prove it. On top of that, his two-way superstar potential is the highest in this draft class. His overall numbers show he’s the best across the board in that category, scoring 14.9 points per game, snagging 8.1 rebounds per game, and even distributing 2.6 assists per game. Oh and he’s blocking 1.6 shots per game, which ranks eighth in the entire NBA.
If you want to further look into his impact, just check out his plus-minus numbers where he leads all rookies with a plus-140 mark. The next closest rookie is the Los Angeles Lakers’ Austin Reaves at plus-124, and Jose Alvarado (Pelicans) and Corey Kispert (Washington Wizards) are the only other rookies with numbers above plus-59.
With the great first half of the season he had, the pressure will only continue to mount on Mobley. Right before the break, in two losses, Mobley looked good in scoring 22 and 11 versus the Atlanta Hawks and Philadelphia 76ers, respectively, even with some tough stretches at Philly. However, the Cavs defense was significantly worse than it had been all season during those two games.
Hopefully, that’s not a sign of what’s to come, but the league now knows how good Mobley and the Cavs are. They are no longer going to sneak up on anybody, especially Mobley. He has all the talent to be a great player, so it will be crucial for him to keep up his stellar play throughout the closing stretch.
With that being said, I think Cavs All-Star point guard Darius Garland summed up Mobley best, via Camryn Justice of News 5 Cleveland.
Darius Garland on Evan Mobley:
— Camryn Justice (@camijustice) February 20, 2022
"He's literally a unicorn. 7-footer, 20 years old that can do everything so I'm glad to play with him, happy to have him on my team so I don't have to go against him."